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Tag Archive | Self-esteem

T42

(Titus, v. 4, ch. 2)

Dreams. Visions. Prophecies…we experience them all our Christian lives. Some of us in deep, dreamy spiritual ways; others more practical. But we all have goals, dreams and God-given aspirations. Ephesians 2:10 says that God prepared good works for us to walk in, and the Holy Spirit is very interested in our fulfilling them, whatever our personal style.

So, why, in a world created and designed by God, and full of His people, do so many Christians lead lives of “quiet desperation?” Why do so many dreams remain unfulfilled? Last year I made a firm commitment to myself: I don’t want to leave this earth a sweet old lady whose God-given vision was relegated to the status of daydream. I want to go out swinging, taking chunks of Satan’s army down with me, and saving lives in the process.

Personally, I like evangelism. Like Steve Camp, “I want to run a mission/ A yard from the gates of hell.” I like talking to real people, and having a part in helping them connect (or re-connect) with God. (Sometimes the reconnecting is the more challenging…) I want to take it a step further and storm the gates of hell, rescuing all who are willing to be free. I want to cross the lines of culture, race, age and language to make an impact for the Gospel. Like a quote I heard at church this week, I want to be “the Bride of Christ, dressed in white…WITH ARMY BOOTS on.”

This is not something new for me. It has been my God-given vision since I was 7. It has been partially fulfilled through real-life witnessing at work and on the street, through ministry at my local church. But I know there’s more out there for me. So what’s the holdup?

Part of it is that along the way I decided to marry and have a family. Hey, this is a Titus 2 column. We can talk about this. Raising 5 kids is tough if Mom is on the road all the time. It was tough enough just to do medical school and residency while raising them. And, while I have the most supportive husband on the planet, he needs a little care and feeding himself.

The cool thing, in my life, is that that season is drawing to a close. Oh, my kids will always be my kids, and I will move heaven and earth to be there for them. But my days of little league, soccer and ballet are numbered (until the grandkids start coming…) So, now I get to decide. Is the dream real? It is worth reaching for? Even more radical, is it worth taking real-life, actual steps toward?

My answer is an unequivocal YES, LORD. I will be a wife as long as we both live; I will likely be a mother all of my days. It is also likely, with 5 kids, that I will be a grandmother one day. But it’s time to move on my God-given dreams. To that end, I am taking small, measurable, real-life steps. I enrolled in online Bible classes. I am expanding the scope of my medical practice. I am getting out of debt; I am working on my health. I am taking every opportunity at work and at church to develop as a leader.

My point? It’s never too late to start fulfilling your God-given assignment. If you’re not sure what it is, go back to the last unfulfilled thing He directed you to do. Pick up the trail. It’s worth it. A plaque at our office says, “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.” For me, that means serving God all out. And when this sweet little old lady leaves the earth, it will be said, “Wow! She really kicked Satan’s b___.” Amen.